Death, in guerdon of her wrongs,

Gives her fame which never dies.
So the life, that died with shame,
Lives in death with glorious fame.
Hang thou there upon the tomb,
Praising her when I am dumb.-

Now, music, sound, and sing your solemn hymn.
Song.

Pardon, goddess of the night,

Those that slew thy virgin knight;
For the which, with songs of woe,
Round about her tomb they go.
Midnight, assist our moan;
Help us to sigh and groan,
Heavily, heavily:

Graves, yawn, and yield your dead,
Till death be uttered,

Heavily, heavily.

Claudio.

Now, unto thy bones good night! Yearly will I do this rite.

Don Pedro.

Good morrow, masters: put your torches out. The wolves have prey'd; and look, the gentle day,

Before the wheels of Phobus, round about

Dapples the drowsy east with spots of grey. Thanks to you all, and leave us: fare you well. Claudio.

Good morrow, masters: each his several way.
Don Pedro.

Come, let us hence, and put on other weeds;
And then to Leonato's we will go.

Claudio.

And Hymen now with luckier issue speeds, Than this, for whom we render'd up this woe! [Excunt.

SCENE IV. A Room in Leonato's House. Enter Leonato, Antonio, Benedick, Beatrice, Ursula, Friar, and Hero. Friar.

Did I not tell you she was innocent?

Leonato.

So are the prince and Claudio, who accus'd her Upon the error that you heard debated: But Margaret was in some fault for this, Although against her will, as it appears In the true course of all the question.

Antonio.

Well, I am glad that all things sort so well. Benedick.

And so am I, being else by faith enforc'd To call young Claudio to a reckoning for it. Leonato.

Well, daughter, and you gentlewomen all, Withdraw into a chamber by yourselves, And, when I send for you, come hither mask'd: The prince and Claudio promis'd by this hour To visit me You know your office, brother; You must be father to your brother's daughter, And give her to young Claudio. [Exeunt Ladies.

[cow,

Bull Jove, sir, had an amiable low; And some such strange bull leap'd your father's And got a calf in that same noble feat, Much like to you, for you have just his bleat. Re-enter Antonio with the Ladies masked. Claudio.

For this I owe you: here come other reckonWhich is the lady I must seize upon? [ings. Leonato.

This same is she, and I do give you her.
Claudio.

Why, then she's mine.-Sweet, let me see your face.

Leonato.

No, that you shall not, till you take her hand Before this friar, and swear to marry her.

Claudio.

Give me your hand before this holy friar: I am your husband, if you like of me.

Hero.

And when I liv'd, I was your other wife: [Unmasking.

And when you lov'd, you were my other husband.

Claudio.

King.

LET fame, that all hunt after in their lives,
Live register'd upon our brazen tombs,
And then grace us in the disgrace of death;
When, spite of cormorant devouring time,
Th' endeavour of this present breath may buy
That honour, which shall bate his scythe's keen
And make us heirs of all eternity. [edge,
Therefore, brave conquerors!-for so you are,
That war against your own affections,
And the huge army of the world's desires,-
Our late edict shall strongly stand in force.
Navarre shall be the wonder of the world:
Our court shall be a little Academe,
Still and contemplative in living art.
You three, Biron, Dumaine, and Longaville,
Have sworn for three years' term to live with me,
My fellow-scholars, and to keep those statutes,
That are recorded in this schedule here:

Your oaths are past, and now subscribe your names,

That his own hand may strike his honour down,
That violates the smallest branch herein.
If you are arm'd to do, as sworn to do,
Subscribe to your deep oaths, and keep it too.

Dumaine.

My loving lord, Dumaine is mortified. The grosser manner of these world's delights He throws upon the gross world's baser slaves: To love, to wealth, to pomp, I pine and die, With all these living in philosophy.

Biron.

I can but say their protestation over; So much, dear liege, I have already sworn, That is, to live and study here three years. But there are other strict observances; As, not to see a woman in that term, Which, I hope well, is not enrolled there: And, one day in a week to touch no food, And but one meal on every day beside, The which, I hope, is not enrolled there: And then, to sleep but three hours in the night, And not be seen to wink of all the day, When I was wont to think no harm all night, And make a dark night, too, of half the day, Which, I hope well, is not enrolled there." O! these are barren tasks, too hard to keep, Not to see ladies, study, fast, not sleep.

King.

At Christmas I no more desire a rose,

Come on, then: I will swear to study so, To know the thing I am forbid to know; As thus, to study where I well may dine, When I to feast expressly am forbid Or study where to meet some mistress fine, When mistresses from common sense are hid; Or, having sworn too hard-a-keeping oath, Study to break it, and not break my troth. If study's gain be thus, and this be so, Study knows that which yet it doth not know. Swear me to this, and I will ne'er say no.

King.

These be the stops that hinder study quite, And train our intellects to vain delight. Biron.

Why, all delights are vain; but that most vain,

Which, with pain purchas'd, doth inherit pain: As painfully to pore upon a book, [while

To seek the light of truth; while truth the Doth falsely blind the eyesight of his look:

Light, seeking light, doth light of light beguile. So, ere you find where light in darkness lies, Your light grows dark by losing of your eyes. Study me how to please the eye indeed,

By fixing it upon a fairer eye;
Who dazzling so, that eye shall be his heed,

And give him light that it was blinded by.
Study is like the heaven's glorious sun, [looks:
That will not be deep-search'd with saucy
Small have continual plodders ever won,
Save base authority from others' books.
These earthly godfathers of heaven's lights,
That give a name to every fixed star,
Have no more protit of their shining nights,
Than those that walk, and wot not what they

Biron.

How follows that?

But like of each thing that in season grows. So you, to study now it is too late,

Climb o'er the house to unlock the little gate.

King.

Well, sit you out: go home, Biron: adieu ! Biron.

No, my good lord; I have sworn to stay with you:

And, though I have for barbarism spoke more, Than for that angel knowledge you can say, Yet confident I'll keep what I have swore,

And bide the penance of each three years' day. Give me the paper: let me read the same; And to the strict'st decrees I'll write my name. King.

Biron.

How well this yielding rescues thee from shame! [Reads. Item, "That no woman shall come within a mile of my court."-Hath this been proclaimed? Longaville. Biron.

Four days ago.

Sweet lord, and why?
Longaville.

To fright them hence with that dread penalty.
Biron.

A dangerous law against gentility! [Reads Item, "If any man be seen to talk with a woman within the term of three years, he shall endure such public shame as the rest of the court can possibly devise."

This article, my liege, yourself must break ;
For, well you know, here comes in embassy
The French king's daughter with yourself to
speak,-

A maid of grace, and complete majesty,-
About surrender up of Aquitain

To her decrepit, sick, and bed-rid father: Therefore, this article is made in vain, Or vainly comes th' admired princess hither. King.

What say you, lords? why, this was quite
forgot.
Biron.

So study evermore is overshot:
While it doth study to have what it would,
It doth forget to do the thing it should;
And when it hath the thing it hunteth most,
'Tis won, as towns with fire; so won, so lost.

King.

In reason nothing.,

Biron.

Something, then, in rhyme.
King.

Biron is like an envious sneaping frost,
That bites the first-born infants of the spring.
Biron.

Well, say I am: why should proud summer boast,

Before the birds have any cause to sing? Why should I joy in any abortive birth?

[space;

Not by might master'd, but by special grace. If I break faith, this word shall speak for me, I am forsworn on mere necessity.So to the laws at large I write my name; [Subscribes.

But, I believe, although I seem so loth,
I am the last that will last keep his oath.
But is there no quick recreation granted?

King.

Ay, that there is. Our court, you know, is haunted

With a refined traveller of Spain;

A man in all the world's new fashion planted,
That hath a mint of phrases in his brain:
One, whom the music of his own vain tongue
Doth ravish like enchanting harmony;
A man of complements, whom right and wrong
Have chose as umpire of their mutiny:
This child of fancy, that Armado hight,

For interim to our studies, shall relate
In high-born words the worth of many a knight
From tawny Spain, lost in the world's debate.
How you delight, my lords, I know not, I,
But, I protest, I love to hear him lie,
And I will use him for my minstrelsy.

Biron.

-of other men's secrets, I beseech you. King.

"So it is, besieged with sable-coloured melancholy, I did commend the black-oppressing humour to the most wholesome physic of thy health-giving air; and, as I am a gentleman, betook myself to walk. The time when? About the sixth hour; when beasts most graze, birds best peck, and men sit down to that nourishment which is called supper. So much for the time when. Now for the ground which; which, I mean, I walked upon: it is ycleped thy park. Then for the place where; where, I mean, I did encounter that obscene and most preposterous event, that draweth from my snow-white pen the ebon

Longaville.

surveyest, or seest. But to the place, where:it standeth north-north-east and by east from there did I see that low-spirited swain, that base minnow of thy mirth,' Costard.

Biron.